bathing beauty

American  

[bey-thing] / ˈbeɪ ðɪŋ /

noun

1. an attractive woman in a bathing suit, especially an entrant in a beauty contest.

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bathing beauty British  

/ ˈbeɪðɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called (old-fashioned): bathing belle.  an attractive girl in a swimming costume

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Etymology

Origin of bathing beauty

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

More than a bathing beauty, she had once been a promising talent as a pianist and could hold her own, charming large audiences.

From Washington Post • Jan. 5, 2015

In hitchhiking it is best to keep to your general direction, even though going the other way to California seemed attractive; maybe I could go swimming with the bathing beauty Esther Williams.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2015

She was selling clothes in a Wilshire Boulevard department store when showman Billy Rose tapped her for a bathing beauty job at the World’s Fair in San Francisco.

From Time • Jun. 6, 2013

She was selling clothes in a Wilshire Boulevard department store when showman Billy Rose tapped her for a bathing beauty job at the World's Fair in San Francisco.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2013

The Savoy, the Golden Gate, and the Renaissance ballrooms battled for the crowds—the Savoy introduced such attractions as Thursday Kitchen Mechanics’ Nights, bathing beauty contests, and a new car given away each Saturday night.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey